Ladder construction



Oct. 31, 1961 H. B. RICH LADDER CONSTRUCTION Filed March 9, 1960IIIIIIIIAL INVENTOR. HOWARD B RICH ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,006,434 LADDER CONSTRUCTION Howard B. Rich, Carrollton, Ky., assignorto Howard B. Rich, Inc., Carrollton, Ky., a corporation of KentuckyFiled Mar. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 13,804 3 Claims. (Cl. 182206) Thisinvention relates to a ladder construction. More particularly thisinvention relates to an improved ladder construction in which rails ofthe ladder can pivot inside rungs thereof.

An object of this invention is to provide a ladder construction in whichhook-shaped supports on the side rails thereof are provided forsupporting the ladder from the upper end thereof and in which the siderails pivot to swing the hook-supports between an operative positionextending outwardly from rungs thereof and a folded position alignedwith the rungs.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ladder of this typein which the rails of the ladder are formed of tubular material in whichthere are circumferentially extending grooves in the rails at the rungsthereof and in which retaining rods mounted in the rungs extend alongthe grooves to support the rungs on the rails.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ladder of this typesuitable for hanging or mounting on the side of a boat for use inboarding the boat and in which struts are mounted on the rails to swingwith the rails between the operative position in which the struts areadapted to engage a side of the boat and a folded position aligned withthe rungs.

The above and other objects and features of this invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertainsfrom the following detailed description and the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ladder constructed in accordance withan embodiment of this invention, the ladder being shown in conjunctionwith a fragmentary portion of a boat;

FIG. 2 is a view taken in transverse section through the side of theboat showing the ladder in side elevation;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 3--3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ladder removed from the boat, the railsthereof being shown in operative position in full lines and being shownin folded position in dotdash lines;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged View in section taken on the line 55 in FIG. 2,showing one rail in operative position;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken on line 6-6 in FIG. 5, showing therail in folded position; and,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 77 in FIG. 2.

In the following detailed description and the drawing, like referencecharacters indicate like parts.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown a ladder which includes side rails 10 and 12.The side rails 10 and 12 are spanned by steps or rungs 1'3, 14 and 16.The side rails 10* and 12 are of similar construction, and only the siderail 10 will be described in detail. The side rail .10 is formed fromtubular metal and includes an elongated upright main portion 17, across-portion 18' (see FIG. 2) which extends substantiallyperpendicularly to the main portion 17 and a return bend portion 19. Themain portion 17, cross-portion 18 and return bend portion 19, areintegrally formed from a single piece of hollow metal tube bent to theshape indicated. A sleeve 21 of resilient plastic material or the like,covers the return bend portion 19, the cross-portion 18, and an uppersection of the main portion 17. Ends of the side rail 10 are closed byupper and lower plugs 22 and 23. As shown in FIG. 7, the

upper plug 22 includes a main portion 24 received inside the rail. Aflange 26 on the plug 22 engages one end of the rail. The lower plug 23can be of similar construction.

The rungs are held in position on the rails by rod members or pins 28.The rungs can be made of wood treated to be Water resistant. The rungscan be provided with grooves 30 to prevent slipping. Details ofconstruction of one of the pins 28 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The pin28 is received in a transverse bore 29 in the rung 16. The rail extendsthrough an upright bore 31 in the rung 16. As shown, the bores 29 and 31intersect adjacent an edge of the bore 31. The rail 10 is provided witha groove 33 extending generally circumferentially thereof in which therod member 28 is received, so that the pin 28 locks the rung in positionupon the rail but permits the rail to swing or pivot inside the rungfrom the operative position shown in full lines in FIG. 4, to the foldedposition shown in dot-dash lines shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5,the groove 33 has a main portion 36 having an axis which follows thecurvature of the rail and end portions 37 and 38, which have axes whichare straight, and tangent to the axis of the main portion :26. Thestraight portion 33 engages the pin 28 when the rail 10 is in theposition shown in FIG. 4 in full lines to limit outward swinging of therails. The pin 28 can be formed as shown in FIG. 5 as a rivet with heads39 and 41 engaging opposite side edges of the rung 16 to hold the pin 28in position therein.

Struts 43 and 44 are mounted on the rails 10' and 12 respectively, andcan swing therewith. The strut 43 has a tubular metal body. At one endof the body of the strut 46 is mounted a cap 47 of rubber or the like.The other end of the body is flattened and is turned around the rail 10,as indicated at 48 in FIG. 3, to form a clamping section embracing therail. A bolt 49 spans the ends of the clamping section and clamps thestrut 43 tightly on the rail 10. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, thestruts are mounted in alignment with the cross-portions of the rails sothat, when the cross-portions of the rails are swung into alignment withthe rungs, the struts also are aligned with the rungs.

When the ladder is in the operative position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, andin full lines in FIG. 3, the ladder can be mounted on a side 52 of aboat 53- with the crossportions of the rails resting on the gunwale orupper edge of the side of the boat and the return bent portions insidethe body. The struts 43 and 44 engage the side 52 of the boat to holdthe ladder in upright position. The sleeves on the upper portions of therails and the tips of the struts, being of resilient material, do notmar the surface of the boat.

The struts can be supplied to purchasers of ladders in lengthssufliciently great to fit various types of boats and can be cut ortrimmed to appropriate length to fit a desired boat.

The rails are continuous and unbroken from end to end. The caps at theends of the rails fit tightly inside the ends of the rails and keepwater out of the rails to trap air inside the rails so that, if theladder falls into the water, the ladder can float.

When the ladder is removed from the boat, the rails can readily befolded to the position shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 4, to bring theupper portions thereof and the struts into alignment with the rungs, asindicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 4, so that the ladder can readily bestored in a small space.

The ladder construction illustrated in the drawing and described aboveis subject to structural modification without departing from the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

' Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A ladder which comprises a pair of spaced rails, hooks mounted onupper ends of said rails for supporting the ladder, a plurality of rungsmounted on said rails, thererbeing a circumferentially extending groovein each rail opposite each rung and a pair of pins mounted in each rung,each groove having an arc portion concentric to the face of the rail,each pin extending transversely of and being received in one of thegrooves of one of the rails to support the rung, the rails beingswingable between an operative position in which the hooks extendtransversely of the rungs and a folded position aligned with the rungs,each groove having a straight portion extending tangentially from oneend of the arc portion, the pins engaging the straight portions whensaid nails are in operative position.

2. A boarding ladder for a boat which comprises a pair of spaced rails,hooks mounted on upper ends of said rails for supporting the ladder, aplurality of rungs mounted on said rails, there being acircumferentially extending groove in each rail opposite each rung and apair of pins mounted in each rung, each groove having a semi-circularportion concentric to the face of the rail and substantially parallelstraight portions extending tangentially from ends of the saidsemi-circular portion, each pin extending transversely of and beingreceived in one of the grooves of one of the rails to support the 'rung,the rails being swingable between an operative position in which thehooks extend transversely of the rungs 4 struts being in alignment withthe rungs when the rails are in folded position.

3. A ladder which comprises a pair of spaced tubular rails, hooksmounted on upper ends of said rails for supporting the ladder, aplurality of rungs mounted on said rails, there being acircumferentially extending groove in each rail opposite each rung and apair of pins mounted in each rung, each rung having a semi-circularportion concentric to the face of the tubular rail and substantiallyparallel straight portions extending tangentially from ends of the saidsemi-circular portion, each pin extending transversely of and beingreceived in one of the grooves of one of the rails to support the rung,the rails being swingable between an operative position in which thehooks extend transversely of the rungs and a folded position alignedwith the rungs, the pins engaging said straight portions when said railsare in operative position, and a strut mounted on each rail in alignmentwith the hook thereof and engageable with a side of the boat when therails are in operative position and the hooks are mounted over an upperedge of the side, the struts being in alignment with the rungs when therails are in folded position, and plugs mounted on ends of the rails toclose the ends of the rails whereby the ladder is adapted to float inwater.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSAustria Dec. 10, 1910

